Celebrate – Easter Sunday

posted by World Vision Youth March 28th, 2013

Every August, tens of thousands of people descend on the tiny town of Buñol, Spain to partake in La Tomatina – arguably the world’s largest food fight. The festivities begin at 10 AM with the “palo jabón,” meaning “the greased pole.” Participants must climb the pole to knock a ham from the top. As they attempt this, the crowd begins to sing and dance while being showered by water from hoses. Once someone is able to drop the ham off the pole, the fight begins, and trucks disperse around 150,000 tomatoes. After exactly one hour of throwing crushed tomatoes at friends and strangers, the festival ends. The whole town square is colored red and rivers of tomato juice flow freely. Fire Trucks hose down the streets and participants, washing away the tomato paste. Participating in this event is purely for fun, and people travel from all over the world to take part in this celebration. 

There is something about celebrating life and each other that contributes to living life to its fullest. Easter Sunday provides us with a reason to celebrate: the resurrection of Jesus. He died the death our sins should cost us, and then he defied death after three days. This can be an overwhelming thought to take in. A man died a very real death so that our sins will not separate us from being with God, our Creator.

John 20 recounts when Jesus’ disciples discovered his empty tomb and when they fully believed he is the son of God. (more…)

Celebrar – Semana Santa

posted by World Vision Youth March 28th, 2013

Celebrar la vida nos ayuda a vivirla en abundancia.

El Domingo de Pascua tenemos una razón para celebrar: la resurrección de Jesús. Murió para pagar por el pecado en nuestro lugar y desafió a la muerte tres días después. Si lo pensamos puede resultar abrumador. Un hombre murió una muerte muy real para que nuestros pecados no nos separaran de nuestro Creador, Dios. (more…)

Live Life – Week 6: Reflect

posted by World Vision Youth March 23rd, 2013

On this day in 1980,  Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot dead as he presided over the Mass in a small El Salvador church. Minutes before he was gunned down, he said in his sermon, “One must not love oneself so much as to avoid getting involved in the risks of life that history demands of us, and those that fend off danger will lose their lives.” He was killed because of his commitment to follow Christ.

Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, when Christians around the world traditionally reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross, his death and resurrection, and his gift of new life. Palm Sunday commemorates the day Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem on a donkey. A crowd used palm branches to welcome Jesus into the city, even proclaiming him to be the king of Israel. (more…)

True Service [video]

posted by World Vision Youth March 16th, 2013

“True service is undergoing the love that empowers us to stand where Christ stands – with the vulnerable.”  This week, Jarrod McKenna examines what Jesus’ encounter with the adulterous woman teaches us about this week’s Live Life challenge to serve.

Who is someone in your community you don’t know well? Do you value everyone in your community as equal? How does the love of God change how you view other people?

Think about someone in your community whom you wouldn’t normally connect with, then find a way to learn their story and get to know them! Create an action on the global sharing platform sharing how you will get to know and serve someone new.
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Live Life – Week 5: Serve

posted by World Vision Youth March 16th, 2013

We live in a world that is constantly telling us to put ourselves into categories. There are first class seats and then there’s coach. General admission or VIP passes. Upscale shops or bargain stores. Degrees from universities you brag about versus the degree you were just happy to get. These outward definitions can become the way we see ourselves and others; “value” coming from the desired categories you can get into.

It’s not always easy to treat everyone as valuable. Standards set by our society or culture often tells us that some people are not as valuable as others because of certain qualities or where they come from. These judgments cause us to assume the character of someone before knowing their story. Judgments interfere with living into a full life by convincing us that we are somehow more valuable than another person.

The way God sees us is completely different though. He sees us through His lens of a loving Father.  What if we could begin to see others through such a lens? But what if you valued everyone in your community the way God does? Is that evident in how you treat others in your daily life? (more…)